We're the Budapest Autonomous Community (Budapesti Autonóm Társulás, B.A.T.), a hungarian anarchist group. We're members of the hungarian anarchist federation, which currently takes the form of a network of "Regional Anarchist Bureaus" (Regionális Anarchista Iroda, R.A.I.) between eight cities. The R.A.I.'s are exchanging letters with people from all around the country, distributing our 'zines and leaflets, tapes and such, and they are also responsible for a correspondence course in anarchism. (We're sending out nine works by anarchist writers, and then we try to exchange ideas. The course is free, all we ask for is stamped envelopes so we can send the material.)
We made a compilation tape of hungarian anti-fascist rap and punk bands. This tape has been banned recently by the state. It has been successful, though: we distributed over 600 of them, and we think it brought rappers and punks closer to each other, and more cooperative in the fight against fascism. We also made another tape called "Revolutionary songs", it has some guerilla, autonomous and folk songs in hungarian.
We published a 'zine called "Anarchoid", which presents the basic anarchist ideas, and the basic forms of anarchist action. We made 5000 copies. Our regular monthly newsletter, "Free Alternative" (Szabad Alternatíva) is being printed in 1000 copies. We feel these numbers are important, because 1000 is a big number compared to most of the fanzines available here, we think we managed to break out from the "anarchist ghetto" and present our ideas to a larger audience, not just the hard-core activists.
There are few anarchists in Hungary, and the other alternative movements are weak also. Most of the "activists" are passive. There is no worker's movement whatsoever, no squats. The only radical space is an anarchocommunist bookstore (Gondolkodó Autonóm Antikvárium, it is not run by our group). It's located in Budapest, 6th district, | u. 40. If you are passing through and need accommodation, please contact them or us.
We also organized some events (like a regular anti-fascist day every year, or an animal-rights demonstration, etc.), and sometimes we join demonstrations organized by other alternative groups (like the Hiroshima-day demo). But such events are rare. Our main goal is building a working anarchist organization, because there are too few activists, and we are too disorganized to make any direct actions. So we concentrate on propaganda.
Because there are so few anarchists, our group and our newsletter cannot be specific. We respect and try to present all forms of anarchism, and we seek contact with other activist groups. We deal with antifascism, antimilitarism, ecology, class war, drug liberalization, animal liberation, anti-sexism, the history of our movement... Our newsletter usually has some news, a few articles and an occasional poem or other work of art. It is free, and is distributed all over Hungary.
We'd like to receive news from your country, about your group -anything that you think would be interesting to the folks here... we'll publish them in "Free Alternative". In return, we'd send you information about anything happening in Hungary (in english, of course).
Our address is:
B.A.T.
1465 Budapest
Pf. 1704
Hungary
email: drifter@freeside.elte.hu
webpage: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/8866
Hope to hear from you,
solidarity!
B.A.T.
HUNGARY 1995
In Hungary most of the people still hope for being able to make both ends meet. A tough 60 percent of the population live under the subsistence level. On the 12th of March following the advice of the IMF/WB the government made new measures: freezing of wages, cutting social benefits, etc. These will be followed by other restrictive measures, but some months will pass until the people feel their effects. The government is preparing for the changes: the scope of the rights of the police has been extended and they try to make the organization of legal strikes impossible. The society tries to defend: in the private sector tax fraud is normal - the government, naturally, declares war against the black market and also plans to establish a "Tax Police".
Since the blockade in October 1990, when demonstrators blocked all the main roads of the country for 4 days, the biggest action took place in April 1995; the railway was stopped for 86 hours because of the strike of the engine-drivers.
Since the beginning of the year a new phenomenon can be observed in some parts of the state sector: wages are paid two or three weeks or even one month late. Because of this there has been only some isolated protest. anti-Semitism and racism, especially against the gypsies [Romanies], is getting stronger every day. The anarchist movement is divided: there is a fundamental clash between the views of reformist/liberal and the revolutionary/class-struggle tendencies. At anarchist meetings there are often discussions about this topic.
We can¹t talk about serious anarchist activities. The Anarchist Federation is a loose info network rather than a political organization. More meetings may give opportunity for the clarification of the views.
In the last few months in some provincial towns there were minor anarchist actions, but the anarchists¹ main activity is propaganda: graffiti, posters, stickers, leaflets, periodicals, etc.
Between 31st August and 4th September the 4th East-West Anarcho-Syndicalist meeting will be in East-Hungary. The organizers invite every syndicalist and class-struggle anarchist activist to the meeting.
Our address:
PF. 107.
TISZAFURED 5351
HUNGARY
(Without the name of the group!!!)
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